Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) was developed in the 1960s by psychiatrist Aaron T Beck. Beck believed that there was an important link between thoughts and emotions, and that the way we chose to interpret the events in our lives was just as crucial to our wellbeing as the events themselves. For example, while a psychoanalyst may ask you to discuss childhood experiences, and work with you to explore how your past may have affected your present, a CBT practitioner would ask you to describe what you think about a particular situation, and how those thoughts make you feel. The CBT practitioner might then suggest that you try taking a different approach to that situation, one that involves questioning your previous way of thinking, in order to create a different emotional response.
The relationship between therapist and patient is generally considered more important in traditional psychoanalysis, whereas in CBT, a counsellor will often recommend specific strategies a patient can take away and work on in daily life.
Although CBT has its detractors, who argue that it is a one-cure-fits-all form of therapy that doesn't delve deep enough, its straightforward approach and short treatment length is attractive to many, and has been shown to be successful in treating a range of conditions. In 2007, the government announced it would be spending £170m to make talking therapies such as CBT more widely available on the NHS.